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Centennial Offering. 



BY 



LUNARIAN. / 

7 



a-^TK. 



lllu^ti^kted. 



1S7S. ^ ' 

N K w Y o R. !t : 
ORVILLE JARVIS, 15 SPRUCE STREET. 

187.6. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1876, by 
ORVILLE JAEVIS, ^/'^ 
In tlie Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



P \-Li 



gfisiiKrtfuUii ^tmiaUH 



THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



Newer York, lo 

WashijS'GTOx's Mom MKxr 14 

CV»xvrrTS Kktt Ar.\i:r. ..... 18 

TiiK Piusox \'.\x. . . . . . . .22 

Tin-: New York G.^min. 20 

The Street Gar '.^2 



INTRODUCTION. 



This little work is the result of considerable thought con- 
cerning some of the worst social crimes and abuses which, 
in this Centennial year, degrade the city of New York. It has 
been offered because the writer deems that, while so mucli is 
being done for art and science, something also should bs accom- 
plished in the interest of humanity and morality; and it is 
addressed not so much to the learned, who scarcely can be unac- 
quainted with the particulars here set forth, as to the ordinary 
citizen who has hitherto looked lazily on a sea of iniquity, with- 
out giving a thought to his weaker brethren who are being 
swamped therein, or attempting by his own individual effort to 
arrest future disaster. By a perusal of the following pages the 
reader, wlio may be altogether ignorant of the subject of social 
reform, or, rather, who has given it little or no attention, may 
become acquainted, almost at a glance, with the crimes and evils 
which most beset society, as well as with the remedies that are 
proposed for their abatement. Having read, let them, if not for 
themselves, at least for the sake of their pure children, and the 
innocents yet unborn, make social reform their constant and 
earnest study, seeking every opportunity to be heard in its 
behalf; thus, at no very distant date 'Hew York, rich in all that 
is beautiful and pure, will become not only a noble example to 
other cities of the Republic, but the whole Christian world shall 
sound her praise. 




" The city is not clmnged, but its people are." 
(Set! page 19.) 



Newer York. 



My friexd B , a professional man of very limited 

means, but liiglily respected by the community in which 
he lived, left his family to make a flying visit to New 
York on some private business which he found would 
detain him one niglit in the city, for which possibility 
he had j)rej)ared his young wife, assuring her, at the 
same time, that under no circumstances would he alhnv 
himself to be delayed later than the following evening. 

Not having seen B for some years, I was somewhat 

surprised at receiving a note fiom him stating that he 
was a prisoner in the House of Detention, and beggiiig 
me to visit him there without delay. Thither I hastened 
with all speed, wondering as I went what could have 
.caused the incarceration of so quiet, gentlemanly and 
inoffensive a person as my valued friend. I found him 
nervous and alarmed; and, before I had time to ask him 
what had brought him to such a pass, he besought me to 
' ' go bail ' ' for him, mentioning an amount considerably 
beyond my means. 

Having assured him, however, that I should do my 
utmost to obtain bail for him among my acquaintances, 
I naturally desired to learn the reason of his imprison- 
ment. 



IS THE IT^:^rOCEXT COKYICf. 

In answer to my inquiry my friend gave me the fol- 
lowing history : 

"Last night I happened to witness a brntal assault on 
a gentleman by a thorough ruffian, and deemed it my 
duty to assist in procuring his arrest. I accompanied 
the officer to the station-house where, owing to the imper- 
tinent questioning of the little power behind the rail, I 

had almost to ask myself whether I was really B or 

some disreputable individual who had wantonly dis- 
turbed the public peace, to say nothing of his own. I 
sunk a few degrees lower in my own estimation when, on 
hearing that I was a stranger and almost unacquainted in 
New York, brief authority informed me that it thought 
as much, and at once locked me up. From that moment 
to the present I have been as a malefactor in the hands 
of the law, and, but for your generous promise, might so 
remain indefinitely. 

I was now doubly anxious to serve my friend, and, with 
a few encouraging words, left him with the assurance 
that I would find some one to "go" his bail if it were 
Avithin my power so to do. I was to report that day, in 
time to release him, if successful. 

I had no very definite idea how to go about my self- 
imposed task, which I really considered a labor of love, 
and was angry with the law which, on the eve of the Cen- 
tennial year, inflicted such punishment on the innocent; 
but I soon settled down quietly to mj^ work, and, in a 
systematic way, visited such of my friends as I believed 
capable of the friendly act which would enable me to in- 
form B that he might return rejoicing to the bosom 

of his family. 

I was unsuccessful : It is not necessary here to state 
why; although I may remark that it was on the same 




Wasliington's Monument is in the same old place. 
(See page 19.) 



SHAMEFUL OUTEAr^E. 15 

principle by wliich men without a bank account gen- 
erally, on an emergency, fail to meet tlieir urgent necessi- 
ties, even tliougli '' friends" maybe earnestly besought. 
Therefore, let the bare fact suffice, I was unsuccessful. 

I pass over my own sad regrets and B 's mental 

misery; with tears in his eyes he spoke of his young wife, 
and the anxiety she w^ould exi^erience at his jDrolonged 
absence. There was the telegraph, but I had been so de- 
layed that that would not avail him until the morning. 
-'She will be frantic," cried the poor fellow who, lower- 
ing his voice to a sad whisper, added that she was not in 
a condition to bear undue excitement without danger. 

Seldom had I been so grieved at another' s trouble, and 
I felt ashamed to know that I was a citizen of a State 
which coldly and methodically committed a flagrant out- 
rage on my fellow countryman, and called such outrage 
Laav ! 

My cheek burned with righteous indignation, and, 
wiiile sadly directing my steps homeward, I thought of 
the many unnecessary wrongs to which the peo2:)le of 
New York almost unmurmuringly submit. I asked my- 
self whether there were no j)hilanthropist with energy 
enough to stir the phlegm of those who wield the power 
in this "Land of the free." 

Absorbed in my theme, I "burned the midnight oil" 
in jDenning an impotent tirade against some of the abuses 
to which the public tamely and weakly submit. 

Although no novice at the pen, the more I wrote the 
more I felt the arduousness, if not the impossibility of 
suggesting to wiser heads, though ]30ssibly to harder 
hearts than my ovm., proper remedies for the evils which 
I was condemning with a vigor born of disgust at B's 



16 A IS^EW ]SAME FOB NEW YORK. 

ruthless treatment, and of my own utter helplessness in 
the matter. 

I was disturbed from a reverie or a doze, I knew not 
at the time which, by the sudden appearance of my 
genial acquaintance and co-laborer in the literary field, 

G , of the N. Y. Morning Bitters, who nearly 

knocked me off my chair, as he slapped me on the back, 
shook hands with me violently, and asked how long I 
had been back. 

"Been back," I exclamed : " From where V' 

"•From the moon, of course," he replied. "You have 
been away some few years." 

I looked up at him in amazement, and expressed a fear 
that he had been imbibing too freely. 

Denying the impeachment, he coolly declared tliat he 
was glad to see me back in IN^ewer York. 

"Newer York!" I cried. "You are us bad as rlie 
little gamins who sing out ' Daily Neicers !' "' 

"Ah!" said he, quietly, "you are ignorant of the fact 
that this city has been re-christened during your absence, 
and is now kno^^Ti as Newer York." 

I smiled increduously. 

Taking from his pocket a paper, he pointed to its title. 
The paper was a coi^y of the N. Y. Herald^ and, glan- 
cing at the headline, I saw, to my intense sui^prise, the 
words, " Newer York" in bold type. 

I now began to feel that there was some truth in my 
fiiend's statement that I liad been absent from the city, 
and, witli an effort to apj^ear calm, I asked him in wliat 
year we were. 

"Eighteen hundred and eighty, old fellow," he re- 
sponded. "The inhabitants of the moon evidently do 
do not keep an account of time." 



'^^f:^"'%^"'''^^r^'iz^'"^''^' 'I J^i 




The worst mannered are kept apart from the better disposed 
prisoners." — (See page 29.) 



A CRUELTY ABOLISHED. 19 

Concealing my alarm, I asked whether the city were 
not altered. 

''The city," he replied, "is not changed, but its peo- 
ple are, thank God ! Washington's monument is in the 
same old place, and externally most things are in statu 
qvo.^'' 

"•Indeed," I murmured in a sort of helpless way; and 

then told him in a few words of B 's trouble and my 

own anxiety about him, ending by asking if he could 
help us. 

This request he considered a huge joke, and said that 
T had quite forgotten my lengthened sojourn. 

"No such cruelty can be inflicted now-a-days in Newer 
York," he added. "The gross wrong probably never 
would have been remedied, had not a gentleman of con- 
siderable note, and who is now in the legislature, been 
detained for a short tiuie as a prisoner in the jail in 
which your friend was incarcerated, while the criminal 
was at large on bail. He at once drafted a bill which 
gave any resjyectable witness the right to go at large as 
soon as his testimony was taken by the sergeant, police 
captain, or justice, as the case might.be, before whom 
he presented himself in the interests of society." 

"Did not Mr. Seth C. Hawley, once the chief clerk of 
the ^Metropolitan Police, prepare a similar billf I in- 
quired, in a sort of imbecile way, determining, since the 
conversation was becoming so interesting, to consider 
myself, for the nonce at least, to be the man from the 
moon. 

"He did prepare a bill, but it fell through, not even 
having been tabled. His bill, however, would not have 
provided immediate freedom for the innocent witness, as 
did our legislator' s, who, having tasted the bitters of a 



20 A PLUCKY LEGISLATOR. 

most inequitable and cruel law, fouglit vigorously for 
tlie success of Ms project, and with perfect victory. 
Would you believe that one-half of the honorable body 
lieard, for the first time in their lives that, in this coun- 
tiy of boasted freedom, there was an institution filled 
Avith persons charged with no crime or offense— a prison 
in fact — ill- ventilated, dirty, wretched! 'Gentlemen,' 
cried our legislator, as he wound up a most trenchant 
peroration, 'j)ut yourselves in the place of a poor but 
worthy stranger, far from the family that depended upon 
him for the daily necessaries of life, and ask yourselves 
whether they or the state have a prior claim to your per- 
son. Gentlemen,' he continued, 'some three hundred 
individuals were last year barbarously ranked with the 
common felon; many of these became ruined in health 
and fortune, many almost lost their reason while daily 
pondering on the irreparable wrong done to them and 
theirs; and when, finally, their prison doors being thrown 
open, they crept to their homes and penates, and gazed 
on the sadly changed faces of their loved ones, also 
sacriticed to the idiocy or selfish apathy of our honorable 
body, can you wonder that they should have cursed the 
cause of their desolation." 

This, and much more did he say to the same jjurx^ose, 
and the bill was j^assed unanimously. 

"Surely, there were some dissentient voices?" I re- 
marked. 

''Not many. A few weak-minded individuals, with 
Xjarticularly low foreheads, took umbrage at the term 
'idiocy,' and fought vigorously for the downfall of the 
measure. Embodied in the bill were the following able 
and telling remarks of Mr. Thos. C. Acton, the Presi- 







The fallen woman is borne oflf privately." 
(See page 50.) 



ENCOUEAGING CRIME. 23 

dent of the Board of Metropolitan Police in the annual 
rej)ort of the department of 1868. 

" 'This system, instead of aiding, ]Droball)ly tends t(j 
embarrass the successful i3unishment of crime. Persons 
cognizant of facts, which, if known, would lead to the 
arrest and conviction of a criminal, endeavor to avoid the 
hazard of being imx^risoned as a witness for an uncer- 
tain i3eriod by concealing their knowledge or refusing to 
appear as prosecutor or witness. If they are themselves 
the victims of the crime they often prefer to suffer the 
wrong, whatever it may have been, rather then incur 
the risk of further wrong by being imprisoned as a 
witness. 

" ' The current expense of this institution for the year, 
paid by this department, has been $8,494.51. The 
property occupied for this purpose is worth probably 
more than $100,000, and would bring an annual rent of 
$10,000, making a total cost of $18,494,51. 

' ' ' Such oppressive measures ought not to be tolerated 
in a free and Christian country, if there is any remedy to 
be found within the scope of legislative authority con- 
sistent with an effective enforcement of criminal laws.' " 

"PoorB !" I murmured; "this excellent law 

came too late for you." My thoughts naturally turned 

to the friend, concerning whom G could, of course, 

give me no information ; but much interested in the 
subject under discussion, I asked whether the ends of 
justice might not be defeated by giving immediate free- 
dom to the witness. 

"Not at all," replied G , "for the State under- 
takes the punishment of any individual who maliciously 
accuses or furnishes false testimony to the District 
Attorney, before whom he is compelled to present him- 



24 THE DEATH PEXALTY ABOLISHED. 

self. This testimony is used as evidence when the 
witness cannot appear at the trial ; but I am infomaed 
that such a witness is almost invariably forthcoming 
when wanted." 

"You refer now," I queried, "to the respectable 
witness ; how about those who are not in the category, 
and how are they to be discriminated '. ' ' 

" Where " responded G , " there is reasonable 

doubt, the witness is held for a brief i3eriod. Aun' 
persons known to the police as disreputable, or any who 
cannot give a proper account of themselves, either lla^•e 
to find bail for their appearance when wanted, or are 
lvej)t in the House of Detention. But such cases are 
very rare, thus proving that the measure referred to is 
not only a most righteous, but an entirely effective one." 

Deejily interested in what I had heard, I requested 

Ct to inform me of any other changes that had taken 

place, during my involuntary visit to the Moon. 

I found him not only ready, but most willing to 
enlighten me on many matters of which I was ignorant. 

"Prepare for a surj^rise my moon-struck friend," said 
he, " -z^e do not liang for iiiurder noio.''^ 

"What on ear til then do you do with your murder- 
ers f I cried. 

"Imprison them for life," he rei3lied. " Society has 
at length realized the awful fact that it has been givilty 
of murder in taking the life, by hanging, <)i him who 
has deprived his fellow man of existence. The Centen- 
nial year brought with it serious obligations which 
philanthropy, morality and Christianity dared not 
ignore." 

"Blessed Centennial!" I exclaimed. 

"Yes, sir," G — —proceeded; "and, I can assure you 




" The New York gamin used to figlit and swear. Tlie Newer 
York boy dues not." — (See ])age 35.) 



.\[rin)KU O.N TIIK DKCIJKASK. ^27 

that Newer York lias liad no ivasoii to reuTet tlie aboli- 
tion of Cai^itai punishment/' 

'' Do you mean to say that murder is on the decrease V 
1 asked. 

''1 (h)," rei)lied U : "• murderers row' is no 

longer looked upon as the abode of the martyred; and 
the morl)id-ndnded have lost at least one excitement, 
for they get no invitations to witness a hideous spec- 
tacle.'; 

"What does the State now do with such criminals d" 
I asked. 

"Murderers," responded U , ''are treated some- 
what as follows : those who have premeditated mur- 
der and deprived another of life deliberately for gain, 
abortionists whose \ictims have died under their hands, 
and the wretches who have been proved guilty of rape, 
are condemned to imprisonment for life." 

''Those who for any real or fancied personal wrong, or 
in the heat of altercation destroy life, are classed in the 
second degree, and, according to circumstances, are sent 
to prison for terms varying from ten to twenty years." 
Those who, in self defense, or to avenge the honor of 
a wife or other near relative, put another to death are 
sometimes dealt with more mercifully, according to 
surrounding circumstances at the time of the commission 
of the crime. To enter more fully into particulars 
would occupy too much time, and I can only give you 
the law as I understand it ; but it works admirably, and 
there is general rejoicing over the abolishment of the 
death penalty which has ever been held in abhorrence by 
the christian world. But I must not forget to tell you 
that there is no distinction made between the sane 
murderer and him whose defense is insanity ; excej^t 



S8 XO PARDO>! FOR THE MIRDEKER. 

that tlie latter is sent to the Insane Asylum until he is 
pronounced by proper medical authority to have been 
restored to his normal condition of mind." 

"Is he then free ? " I asked. 

"By no means. He is at once transferred to the State 
prison, where he is kept for fear lie mUjht get mad 
again. Bear in mind I am merely gi\ing you the law in 
the matter, for, since its amendment in this regard, we 
have had no insane murderers ; if we should have, we are 
ready to meet their case. Oh ! this law has had a 
healthy influence, and I doubt if any criminal would 
now put in the plea of insanity, since he rather loses 
than gains by the alternative. Yon wonld perhajjs like to 
know what we do with our mui'derers after they have 
been sentenced.'' 

"Naturally," I replied. 

" I will tell you as briefly as possible " said my friend. 
" Those sentenced for life are kejDt in an entirely separate 
dejmrtment of the prison, without any outside commvn- 
ication, and are consequently dead to the world ; thus 
it is quite impossible that they can contaminate those 
who are undergoing punishment for minor offenses. 
They are kept at hard labor, are fed on plain but whole- 
some food, and the minister, the doctor, and their keep- 
ers are t\\Q only persons with whom they may confer. 
Death alone can unlock their 2:)rison gates." 

"A thousand times worse than death I" I cried. 

"Yes," replied G "So awful is their fate, that, 

since its horrors have been made known to the outside 
world, few have been found so hardy as to dare its 
terrors. Murder in the flrst degree is now, I trust, a 
crime of the past, for. during the last year, only two have 



ATs^ ARMY OF MURDERERS AT LARGE. 29 

been added to tlieir wretrlied number. I see that this 
astonishes yon." 

"It does indeed," I replied; ''for I remember just 
before mj^ unaccountable departure to the Moon of whicli 
I was not aware until you kindly mentioned it, I saw a 
list of the murders which had been reported in New 
York during the five years ending with January, 1876, 
with an account of the fate of the criminals. They 
footed up two hundred and eighty-one. 

"It seems that a fourth of these criminals were allowed 
to escape punishment, without even the semblance of a 
trial ; only seven suffered the extreme penalty, and the 
balance are now possibly roaming the land as free as you 
or I. But pray proceed, for I feel that you have much 
more to tell me." 

" I have, with your permission," said G- . "It will 

interest you to learn that murderers of the second 
degree, serve out their respective terms under ,the same 
rigid regulations as those of the first, with the excep- 
tions that they are at liberty to correspond occasionally 
with their nearest friends, and that the worst mannered 
are kept apart from the better disposed prisoners. An 
oath or an obscene expression is instantly punished by 
solitary confinement." 

"Most admirable," I exclaimed; "but pray tell me 
how the majority of jDiisoners are treated— house- 
breakers, forgers, highway-robbers and so on." 

■^ "They," answered G , "together with those 

undergoing sentence for manslaughter, endure n common 
fate as formerly, the better behaved being encouraged by 
[little kindnesses at the discretion of the warden. He 
I follows the \\ishes of the truly excellent chaplains who, 
Through preaching the love of God instead of the fear 



30 OBSCENITY AXD BLASPHEMY. 

of the devil as it was once the fashion to do, bring many 
trne penitents to the foot-stool. Not only is blasphemy 
and obscenity of any description promptly punished 
with severity in the case of the prisoners, but a keeper 
g'uilty of a similar sin is at once dismissed from the 
Institution. Nor are the keepers allowed to strike a 
blow except in self defense.'' 

Stating my satisfaction at this intelligence, I askefi 
whether there were as many ])ardons granted noAv as 
formerly. 

"'A pardon is of very rare occurrence,''' rej^lied my 
friend ; ' ' even the best behaved are not encouraged to 
expect it, but good behavior meets with rewards that are 
not to be despised. ' The i^roof of the xwdding is in the 
eating,' and moral suasion has done more to chain down 
the deuKm Crime in the City of Newer York, than ])asr 
rough treatment of those who, iov the sake of the puldic 
safety, have been temporarily incarcerated. The chief of 
police informs me that even siudi of the ex-convicts, who 
seek their old haunts, by their improved manner, and 
their decent mode of speech and l)earing, exert a salutary 
influence on their fellows. First by compulsion, and 
afterwards from habit, and, in many instances, subse- 
quent inclination — for whatever of manhood belonged to 
them is naturally enhanced by tlie admirable regulation 
with regard to speech an<l conduct, to which I have i-e- 
ferred — their self respect is exalted, giving birth to a 
noble pride, which dies not in a day. This seems tlie 
jn-oper time to tell you, lest the intei-esting fact may sli]) 
my memory, that the law now inflicts a flue or im2)j-ison- 
ment on any citizen wlio is charged — the charge l)eing 
proven— with uttering obscene or blasphemous language. 




Something not seen in "Newer" York. (Seepage:)*.).) 



THE WIFE-BEATER, ETC. 33 

the Society for the Prevention of Crime generally being 
prosecutor." 

"Does not tliis entail great trouble and expense V' I 
asked. 

"At tlrst it did, but the penalty being rigidly enforced, 
the sin seems to have left our midst. Society my dear 
friend is now doing for itself, and by itself, far moi-e 
towards the suppression of sin, than the best framed 
laws could effect in many years. 

'' There are men — their name is legion" — ccmtinued he, 
warming with the subject, " so thoroughly brutal and de- 
praved, that they beat and stamp the life out of their 
wives and mothers. These men — wild beasts would l)e 
the most aj^propriate term — justice took but little cogniz- 
ance of unless the woman died. Sometimes, instead of 
seeming 'cruel to be kind,' the judge was I'ind to seem 
cruel, and very wisely heeded not the prayer of the 
woman who with heaven-born love strove to save the 
inhuman wi-etch who had wantonly abused her. Poor 
unhapi^y being, she had to suffer for the common good. 
This is t\ie rule in Newer York, and a man knows, now, 
that, drunk or sober, rich or poor, educated or ignorant, 
ten years will be the minimum i)enalty for such assault, 
be the woman his mother, wife, sister, child or neighbor. 
That very eccentric custom of knocking a helpless 
Avoman down and 'jumping' on her, to say nothing of 
kicking her face and head Avitli lieavj^ boots until they 
become a hori:ibly mangled mass, from which the divine 
likeness has been utterly stami)ed out. is no longer a 
common pastime. 

"There are many other excellent laws in force ; but I 
could not enumerate them all, were I to remain here a 
week. T will mention one which occurs to me at this 



34 SOCIETY VS. BLACKGUARDS. 

moment, bpcansp it is one of society's most valuable 
safety valves. In New York you will remember a man 
could not be criminally prosecuted, for simply assaulting 
liis fellow with foul abuse — for using epithets which you 
will better call to mind than I can offend my own lips 
and your ears by repeating. The abominable wTetch who 
dares to pollute the ears of decent men with the foul 
utterances of his filthy tongue noio goes to jail." 

"The Lord be praised," I ejaculated. "But I say, old 
friend," I added, "this is a nice question, isn't it ^ 
Where do they draw the line;!" 

" Oh !" replied G with a smile, "I believe that the 

line is drawn at 'go to the devil." " 

"Why?" I asked. 

"Because one is not obliged to go you know," answered 

G with a sly look. "You had better read up the 

laws of Newer York," he continued. "This subject 
alone takes up twenty pages of the statutes. I merely 
instruct you now that a gentleman is protected from the 
blackguard, no matter in what garb the latter may be 
attired. All respectable citizens are on the watch for 
such ruffians : in a word — society is against them." 

"Am I to understand then, that social esi)ionage has 
been established ''P I asked. 

"Precisely, if you do not apj^ly the term in its 
offensive sense ; and what this social espionage — per- 
haps watchfulness would be the better term, — has done 
for society you shall learn ere I take my leave. At 
present let me acquaint you with what the Law is doing 
for society. You remember doubtless that, at the time 
of your sudden departure from this mundane sphere, the 
police force was absurdly inadequate to the protection of 
the city ; that about one thousand patrolmen were 



THE COllNKU loafer's FATE. 35 

given tlie impossible task of protecting forty-one scpiare 
miles of property, and over one million human beings." 

''I well remember it, and never marvelled, liowever 
mncli I might be horrified, when my morning paper 
informed me that the roughs of the city wei-e knocking 
down elderly gentlemen like ten-pins, or that modest 
females had suffered treatment at which every decent 
mind revolts. AVhatever faults the police possessed, 
and they were certainly many and grave, it was physi- 
cally impossible that they could afford proper protection 
to the citizens of New York."" 

"Just so, and for that reason the force has been doubled. 
Had not every gambling house been closed by law, and 
had not every corner loafer been marched to the nearest 
station, there to give an account of himself, fii^t 
thousand active and efficient officers would scarcely have 
sufficed. The Police Commissioners have been relieved 
of their responsibility with regard to the patrolling of 
private stores and buildings ; this change has found em- 
ployment for an army of honest men in the pay of large 
and wealthy proprietors. The force has been well 
weeded of all political appointees ; of all who had been 
lined for drinking during the hours of duty ; of all who 
had been on trial more than once for impertinence and 
ruffianism to a citizen, or improper language and indecent 
behavior to w^omen. Then Newer York has more active 
missionaries than formerly ; this helps the police. The 
Earl of Shaftsbury said, you know, that if London 
had not its four hundred city missionaries, it would have 
to employ forty thousand more police. Children are 
better looked after than formerly. The New York 
gamin used to fight and swear. The Newer York boy 
dare not." 



36 THE poliot:. 

"How about fresli a|)pointments V I asked. 

G informed me tliat, since thousands of excellent 

men souglit a position on the force, none but those of 
fail' education and who can satisfy the Committee of 
Appointments that they have never ])een convicted of 
any crime or misdemeanor, and, in fact, that they ai-e 
entirely reliable, cool-headed, and courageous, coidd 
obtain emjDloyment. 

"Then," said I, " the day is not far distant, when cnir 
Police force may with tnith be called ' the finest in the 
world/ '' 

"It will inevitably become so; and, if you intend to 
remain among us for a time, you will discover that, 
however much politics have had, and still may have, to 
some little extent, to do with the workings of the 'jDolice 
machine,' it will ere long become an independent In- 
stitution, untrammelled by party interests, and so corres- 
pondingly honest and effective/' 

"Do you include roundsmen in the figures you have 
mentioned?" I asked. 

"There is now no such an unfortunate being. The 
members of the force are relied on from the moment of 
their appointment, and they are far less likely to neglect 
their duty, or to tarnish the honor and manly dignity 
which such appointment naturally endorses, than they 
would be while conscious that their footsteps were being 
dogged by unhappy spies, whose bread and butter 
seemed to dejjend on their opportunities to catch an 
officer 'napping.' " 

"So," said I, " Newer York- is well protected by the 
])olice at the present time ?" 

"Fifty times better than ever New York was," 
rei:)lied G . "But," added he, "my time is short, as 



A VOTE poll A OLASS OF WHISKEY. o? 

I wish to catch the one o'clock train to Uai'leiii. We 
have an nndergTound railway now, you know/' 

I did'nt know anything- of the sort, and quietly in- 
timated the fact. 

G -, thereupon, said that it had just l)een completed 

on the east side. 

I asked him if the street cars were still running, and 
he answered in the affirmative, stating that thei'e was 
employment for them. "But'' continued he, ''the 
sevei-al companies have had a rare overhauling." 

" In what way f I inquired. 

"You cannot but remember," resx)onded G , ''liow 

nol)ly the Herald champ)ioned the rights of the people 
in this respect. No money that was ever coined could 
have purchased its silence. Neither the Companies n(jr 
the Legislature had any peace, for the Herald gave them 
broadside after broadside from its biggest guns, until at 
last the most frantic efforts of the Companies failed to 
smother a bill, compelling them to do their duty by the 
public Their cry, that it would not j^ay, fell on deaf 
ears. What bribery had to do with the long delay can 
only be conjectured, as the Morning Bitters entered into 
iKj investigation at the time ; but it seems that the 
shocking fact was not imaginative as at one time the cry 
was * no hope from the Legislature.' A gentleman who 
doul)tless did not write without authority, sent the fol- 
lowing letter to the Herald:'" 

" 'Being one of the many unfortunates who are com- 
pelled to use the street cars to reach home, I always read 
with due thanks your suggestions to compel the street 
lailway companies to give the much needed accommoda- 
tion to their jmtrons — namely a seat. The Legislature 
will i)ass no such hiAV at all, owing to the fact that two- 



38 THE FATE OF STREET RATLEOAD 0O:\rPAXIES, 

thirds of tlie men composing the Legislature, are always 
found to sell their vote for a glass of vile whiskey, if 
nothing better can be obtained otherwise. This being a 
sorrowful fact, nothing remains for the suffering public 
to do than to x^etition the press. As you are the best 
champion of all, it is hoped by all classes, who have 
to ride in the street cars, you will use your power and 
influence to reach the desired end without overreaching 
the companies by unjust enactments. If such a law- 
could be passed as you suggested, in a very short space 
of time you would see new styles of cars adequate to 
the spirit of our progressive time. AVith due regard fen- 
your generous aid, I remain your constant reader.' 

' ' The ridiculous and weak suggestion that passengers 
should not be obliged to pay fares, unless seats Avere 
provided for them, was received by the officers of the 
various companies with a grim smile. Thej^ had dealt 
too long with the public not to know that they would crowd 
in under all circumstance, and that few, if any, would 
refuse to pay their fare when called upon by the conduc- 
tor to do so. Such a motion as this would have ])een 
mere loss of time, and the measure if carried would have 
proved ineffectual. The Common Council were blamed 
by all right-minded people for their culpable disregard 
of their evident duty in the matter. The Statute lately 
enacted is wise and effective. The cars are now built to 
contain a fixed number] of passengers, each car has what 
is called in Euroj)e a 'knife-board' — a double seat on 
the roof, — and so a great many passengers are accommo- 
dated ; but if one more than the number prescribed by 
law is carried, a 'Gery senei'e penalty is the consequence. 
The Police keep an eye to this matter, so that the offense 
must meet retribution. Xo fault has been found with 



HOERIBLE IXDECEXCY. 39 

the fares, altliough tlie profits of some of the Comimnies, 
especially of the Third Avenue Railroad, have been 
said to be enormous, their j)laints to the contrary not- 
withstanding. The evidence furnished by some of the 
conductors with regard to the indecent and painful ex- 
hibitions witnessed both by day and by night, almost 
staggered belief. Not all that was said before the investi- 
gating Committee appeared in the public prints, but 
enough was made known to excite the popular mind 
against the companies, although I must say that 
the indifference of the people to these and 
many other similiar nuisances, renders them almost 
unworthy of any attempt that is made in their 
behalf. There is not another civilized people in 
the whole world ^^'llo Avould have borne with one- 
quai-ter of the annoyance that had been so long inflicted 
upon them by some of the Railroad Companies. 

"'I have Avitnessed,' said one conductor, 'wdiat has 
made me sick with mortification and anger. I have seen 
,women literally gasping for breath in my car, into 
which, in spite of the popular belief that a conductor can 
always find room for one. 7'/zo/7^ I could not have squeezed 
the Urging slceleton.' 

" He went on to say, that it was always the men, and 
not the older ones neither, who closed up every aperture 
in the car ; ladies generally prayed for fresh air. Some- 
times with a mixed crowd of eighty or ninety he said, 
that the stench was abominable, and that he would have 
much preferred to travel the distance with cattle than 
with human beings. Another conductor, a respectable 
looking man. told the committee that the scenes in a 
crowded car, were sometimes not far from being bestial. 
On this and other lines licence was given to creatures 



40 MODESTY OlTKAGEn. 

in tlie form of men, but wlio were more to be despiserl 
than the brute, whicli was oifered him in no otlier plare 
Avhere decent women are congregated. ' I have heard,' 
he added, 'remarks which have not only brought a 
blusli to tlie faces of tlie young females for whom they 
Avere intended, but which made me inclined to break the 
brutish heads of those Avho gave utterance to them/ In 
these vehicles a tender girl would be forced almost into 
tlie arms of some notorious rougli, or, likely enougli, 
ex-convict, to remain in that ])()sition, perhaps, for one 
hour or more. It is not likely that a lady having once 
endured such agony (Avliat would liaAe been her sensa- 
tions had she known the true nature of the man whom 
the Railroad Company licensed to hustle and indecently 
molest her sex I) would ever again put herself in a similar 
position. But that once could never be forgotten.' 

"Another conductor said that that he had seen many 
a young creature, with burning cheek seared Avith lior 
tears of shame, too modest to appeal for j)i'otection 
against the /'/'///// avIio Avas permitted by the Eailro;id 
Company to insult lady passengers, and too timid to sto] > 
the car and descend from it, Avhicli she Avould gladly 
have done even if she had* to Avalk home bare-footed. 

" ' I knoAv,' said another, ' that we carry some brazen 
hussies aaIio delight in condu(;t Avliich is detested and 
almost Avorse than death to the majority of their sex, 
whose down town avocations ('oni])(^l them to use th^' 
cars.' 

" ' The ti'uth is," said a loui'tli conductor, 'that sonip 
men — I wont say gentlemen,' headded, liluntly — 'liked 
all this soi't of j)i'essing, hugging and indecent conti- 
guity, while modesty forbade the Avomen to discuss, oi-. 
in ninety-uine cases out of a hundred, even to men- 



THE DIKECTOK's DAUGHTEH. 41 

tion at home so delicate a subject ; and thus nothing wns 
done to stop the monstrous abuse.' '' 

"Tlumk God!" cried my friend, "■complaints made 
to the Press, proved that we had a few individuals in our 
midst, who respected their own manhood too much not 
to exclaim against tlie rapacity of some companies 
wliicli had become enriched at the expense of pul)]ic 
Ileal th and morality. One said : 

"'Sunday evening about seven o'clock, in company 
with my wife and baby, I was compelled to take a Third 
Avenue Car at 116th street, and found it so full, that it 
was almost impossible to enter the door, fifteen persons 
standing upon the inside, and five on both front and 
rear platforms. The conductor gave us the consoling 
words, he would give us a transfer at the dei)ot. My 
wife (an invalid), was obliged to stand the entire distance 
( three miles) without a seat. There is no excuse for the 
(.'ompany not being able to furnish seats to those enter- 
ing the car at nearly the commencement of the route. 
It will soon be that the cars will not start from the depot 
until they are filled.' " 

'"These conductors were right, every one of them," I 
said. 

"Yes indeed," responded G , " there are thousands 

of young women who will never forget, but who will 
always remember them with gratitude for their testi- 
mony. I was informed that the daughte]' of one of 
these Directors indignantly refused to enter with a male 
com])anion, probably her noble (!!) father, a Third Avenue 
( 'ar. which was filled to overflowing." 

" But it was to a few such letters as this," said my 
friend, referring to a paper which he had in his pocket, 
"that Newer York is indebted, next to James Gordon 



42 IMPUDEXCE AXD BEASTIALITY. 

Bennett, who is very gratefully tlionglit of by the ladies, 
expecially those residing in Harlem. 

G read : 

"'Asa daily traveller on the city railroad cars, I 
tender you my hearty thanks for the j)ublic spirit which 
you have shown in grapi)ling with the gi'oss over-crowd- 
ing system, which identifies the 23olicy of every street 
railroad company in the city, and disgraces the boasted 
liberties, and morals also, of the people. Sir, the thanks 
of the city are due to you for your championship of 
tliose liberties and morals, the more so, because the 
rights which you have resolved to vindicate, must be 
wi'ested from rich and powerful corporations, which it 
would seem, neither the municipality of this great city, 
nor the people themselves have the courage to attack in 
downright earnest. Your object is not yet accomplished ; 
but when it shall be accomplished — as it will sooner t)r 
latter — the people of this city will regard you as one of 
the greatest public benefactors of the age. I do not 
intend to occupy your valuable space by exposing the 
evils of this system of over-crowding. Unfortunately 
those evils are too well known in the every day exper- 
ience of all who travel on the cars. Sanitary science 
condemns it ; good manners and every moral sense are 
] )nt to shame by it ; the law prohibits it ; but it seems 
the executive officers of the law waive the statutory penal- 
ties in favor of its violators, and sanction a high handed 
breach of what was and is the keystone and the sine qua 
■noil of the companies' charters. Let the people see to it, 
that the pledges which were made when the charters 
were granted are respected. Surely there is public 
spirit enough in the "land of liberty'' not to tolerate 
any corporaticm which would dare treat American citi- 



THE PLUCKY OLD GEXTLEMAN. 43 

zens as so many cattle, transporting them li'ke cattle at 
so many cents per 100 pounds weight, for it practically 
amounts to that. What will our cousins think of us 
when they come over this year % Where is anything of 
the kind found in Europe { What moral sense would 
not be shocked, to witness as may be witnessed every 
day, that a la mode sardine packing of males and 
females enforced proximity, which, it is well known, 
frequently su])jects maidens to indignities and embarrass- 
ment from which they cannot escape, and which they 
dare not resent '\ How many pickjDOckets take their fii'st 
lessons in crowded cars '. It is high time this intolerable 
nuisance were ended. Seats are the right of the peoj^le, 
providing seats that of the car companies, and with 
your all powerful helj) the people will get seats ' ' ' 

"I supj)ose there was a hard tight to obtain this glor- 
ious victory?" I said, as soon as the admirable letter had 
l)een read. 

"Yes," he replied, "it was hot work. When the 
improprieties were touched upon, one of the Directors 
rolled up his eyes and murmured : ' To the x^ure, all 
things are x^nre, ' gentlemen. Whereat an excited old 
gentleman, quite forgetting himself, although he was 
forgiven by nearly every body on the spot, exclaimed 

' d you. Sir, do you suppose that my pure daughter, 

or your's if you've got one — I \\o\)e for lier sake you 
have'nt — would see much purity in the i^if^k^jocket, 
X^rize-fighter, or other infernal ruffians, whom you and 
the other cussed directors invite to elbow ladies, squirt 
tobacco juice over them, and otherwise molest them. 
I'd send all you infernal directors to jail, confound you !' 

"That old member helj^ed to squeeze the bill through, 
you may be sure." 



44 THE BP.OOKLYX BRIDGE — TTTE STAGES. 

' ' How do the cars work now V ' 1 inquired. 

''Very well ; tlie company have had to i)ut a few more 
ears on at certain hours, and this, added to the fact that 
a number of overgrown louts, and full-fledged exquisites, 
wlio the first from their laziness, and the second for the 
purpose of ogling and otherwise insulting decent women, 
had theretofore sought seats or standing room, now walk. 
This not only relieves Newer York from consideral)le 
dyspei:)sia, but it adds to the many manly graces of the 
aforesaid exquisites w^ho don't see half the fun in the 
cars now-a-days. The public are also rejoicing over tlie 
consequences of a new bill touching ferry monopoly, and 
which has put a stop to the brutal overcrowding that 
used to exist, and which, at certain hours of the day, 
jeopardised human life ; added to this, measures have been 
taken to guard against all mishaps arising from undue 
haste and impetuosity in catching a boat. For this 
public safeguard I believe Newer York is indebted to its 
journals, which, at various times, have devoted much 
space to this subject. We newspaper men have thus 
lost one frequent item, 'fatal jump foi' a ferry-lK)at.' 
The bridge has, of course, deprived the boats of many 
Brooldyn residents, but an army of nervous folk stick 
to the ferries, and* to tell the truth, the swaying of the 
monster j9c»/i^ is somewhat alarming in certain weathers." 

Having heard all I cared to learn about street-cars and 
ferries, I wished to l)e informed whether tlie stage lines 
were allowed to be cj-owded as formerh'. 

"No, indeed,'' was the reply, "The law touches 
them equally with the cars, and heavy fines have been 
inflicted, mnch to the consternation of the ownei's. 
Moreover, every stage now has its conductor. This 
ai-rana-ement has rendered the Broad^^'aY stau'e line far 



on: DAILY P(>i>;<>NS. 45 

more reputable than foriuej'ly, I'oj', since the conduc- 
tors ai'e for the most part intelligent and i-espectabhi 
men who have been made si^ecial officers of arrest, 
as, I omitted to infoi'm yon, have also the car con^ 
dnctors, l)razen Avomen and their fancy men — the j)ick- 
l)ockets — who once infested the line, no longer curse it. 
The consequence is that down town merchants with 
abnormally, developed craniums are considerably niom 
attentUe at Jioine, and comrplaln less of liard times /" 

G , wlio had worked himself into a somewhat ex- 
cited state during his eloquent remarks, mojiped his 
forehead and referred to his watch. But if he was ex- 
cited I was no less so, and, eager to detain him, asked 
what had followed JusticeAVandelF s suggestion before the 
Committee of Crime, touching the duties of the Health 
Board with respect to the prosecution of vendors of im- 
pure liquors which he considered was as necessary as 
the punishment of the dealers in swill-milk." 

' ' A very projoer question for me, who has lately 
investigated the 'milky way' on his return from the 

moon," remarked G . Presently he continued: 

''Shocking, and almost beyond belief, as it may ajDi^ear, 
the peoj)le of JSTew York wT,re, at the beginning of the 
Centennial year, being slowly poisoned by adulterations 
and impurities in what they ate and drink — a fact dis- 
graceful to the power that could, but would not enforce 
laws already made, and form new ones to meet the exi- 
gencies of the case. Our sugars were frequently alive 
with acari, or lice, and their eggs, while they contained 
filthy fungi, cane, earth and foul sweepings ; arrowToot 
was represented by potato, flour and starch ; pepi^ers were 
mixed with earthy dust ; water was contaminated with 
licimj vegetable and animal impurities which bred dis- 



46 OUll DAILY POlr^OXf^. 

ease at an alarming rate ; cliicory was associated with 
red eartli and unwholesome roots ; mustard was a mix- 
ture of wheaten Hour and turmeric ; alum, among other 
bad things, was in our bread, and it became matter of 
grave doubt whether the acarus far hue or meal-mite 
did not run riot in much of our flour, rendering it unfit 
for consumption ; mangelwurzel was mixed with our 
ground coifee ; farinaceous foods were l)ase- pretenders, 
and even modest oatmeal turned i^ale at the presence of 
barley meal ; much of our tea was colored with x^oisonous 
mineral matter, and nnxed with dried weeds ; flour, 
starch, gum, turmeric and carbonate of soda brought dis- 
credit on honest cows — the use of chalk, however, was 
proved to be a fiction ; isinglass was an odoriferous glue ; 
sulphuric and other acids were some of the constituents 
of vinegar ; pickles v/ere rendered dangerous by the pres- 
ence of copper, verdigris and sulphuric acid ; spices were 
not at all what they were cracked up to be, as the 
analyst was fully aware when it became Ills duty to 
craclc them xip; preserved provisions were frequently 
putrid, being concoctions of all kinds of refuse, fit only 
for the garbage barrel; drugged beers drove many to 
madness ; cayenne pepper was a delusion and a snare, 
red earth, brick dust and suli^hurate of mercury being- 
mixed up with it ; copper colored our preserved fruits ; 
anchovies Avere sardines ; inferior tobaccos were daubed 
with a syrup of sugar and lime ; snuff was to 
be sneezed at in more than one sense ; every poison- 
ous pigment known was employed in confectionery ; 
capsicum, molasses and liquorice were present in porter ; 
spirituous liquors were rendered fiery and maddening by 
benzine, turr)entine, tincture of capsicum and cayenne ; 



THE FRAUDULENT DEALER. 47 

while butter vras heavy with water and lard, besides 
being rancid and worked over. 

' ' The people of ISTewer York are now no longer at the 
mercy of ft-andnlent dealers, it having become the busi- 
ness of a Sanitary Committee to report any individual 
who palms off on an unsusx:)ecting public any impure or 
adulterated article. A heavy tine covers the first offense 
while the second is followed by imx3risonment — the term 
discretionary. The crime of bribery in such cases has 
now ceased to exist as it did at first to some extent, for 
the reason that each party to the offense has been sent 
to the State i:)rison for five years. The sale of any article 
which is represented to be, and disposed of for what it is 
not, endangers the pocket and freedom of him wdio Icnow- 
ingly perpetrated the fraud. Weights and scales are 
under constant and rigorous examination. He who sells a 
bushel of coal, lootatoes or vvdiat not short, is amenable 
to the before-mentioned law. Butchers who deal in dis- 
eased meat suffer in common with other fraudulent deal- 
ers. Bread is sold by the pound, the jorice being between 
the dealer and the public — competition proving the latter' s 
safeguard ; but woe be to him against whom complaint is 
made touching short weight. The dealer in foods which 
are poisonously adulterated are subjected to the highest 
penalties. The law naturally includes the first cause — 
the manufacturer. 

The brewers and the concocters of spurious liquors 
receive the most delicate attention at the hands of the 
Sanitary squad, and although the latter s visits must, in 
many cases, be naturally few and far between, the cer- 
tainty of their presence at some unknown time keeps all 
infringers of the law on their good behavior, the i)enalty 



48 THE POOR MAX'S BEEE. 

being wholesomely held in tfrrorcm over their flevoted 
heads." 

"Consequently," I ventured to remark, " the retail 
liquor business has become somewhat of a dead letter in 
Newer York." 

"Quite the reverse," resi)onded G ; "for thousands 

of moderate drinkers who once did not dare to run the 
risk of being killed, and therefore Avithheld their cus- 
tom, are now enabled to meet their moderate desires with 
the full ]s;nowledge that however weak the potation may 
be — for the plentiful use of water has not been interdicted 
— it will be free from its former disgusting elements. 
And now you have heard all I can tell you on this vital 
question." 

"Is intemperance on the increase or decrease?" 1 
inquired. 

"Decidedl}^ on the decrease,'' was the answer. ''It 
was the abuse and not tlie use of ardent beverages 
that brought so much calamity on society ; and the 
legislature has proi)erly ordered that any drunken man, 
no matter what his station in life, be treated as a 
lunatic. That is to say, he is imprisoned until it is 
believed he can take care of himself, and has renewed 
his manhood. When you 'rob a poor man of his beei'/ 
you take from him a refi-eshing, exhilirating and nutri- 
tive beverage.'" 

"How nutritive r I asked. 

"Because of its extractive matter — the carboliydi-ates. 
Its bitter principle renders it a stomachic and tonic, iiiid 
with most people it promotes digestion." 

"In moderation," I suggested. 

"My dear friend," remarked G , ''the fool may 

drink to excess, the wise man knows when to stop. You 



moiv'Day's sin axd su:xday's crime. 49 

may depend upon it tliat those wlio cry out against the 
nse of good and wholesome beer are like the victims of 
salmon eating ; omng to some physiological reasons, 
their systems reject it. It may be said of beer as the 
old Billingsgate fishmonger remarked of his salmon : — 
' Lor' bless yon, sir, that there fish do go agin' some folk 
most tremenjnous. I s'pose it gets in their 'eads or their 
legs, for I've het sammin nigh on forty year, and I hnoiDS 
it's good for the stummick.' 

" Those who cannot drink without ill effects are /taught 
what their manhood should instill into them, although it 
frequently fails to do so, that they are not fit to remain 
at large; but since nine tenths of the inebriates formerly 
brought to justice were reduced to their disgusting con- 
dition, not by the quantity but by the quality of what 
they had imbibed, and since only pure liquors are now 
for sale in IN'ewer York, intoxication is almost becoming 
an evil of the past. Another good thing has been defi- 
nitely settled. There is now no longer any sneaking in 
at the back door to get a glass of wholesome beer or lager 
on Sundays. Only decorum is needed, and in this mat- 
te]- we copy the Germans, as in many others, to our ad- 
vantage. //' it he not a sin to drinlc lager on a loeelc day^ 
it is not a crime to 'partake of it on Siindai/. Therefore 
it flows merrily but wisely, for the intemperate know the 
inevitable penalty and become temperate." 

G evidently seemed to be wound up to go on with 

his truly interesting discourse ; for, scarcely granting 
himself time to properly charge his lungs with oxygen, 
he thus eloquently proceeded : 

" Respect for the law of the land is vitally essential to 
the moral progress of a people; ISTew York did not honor, 
and but poorly obeyed it — principally because some of 



50 LEVITY IX THE CRIMINAL COUKT. 

its administrators failed to do it proper reverence ; and 
'confusion worse confounded' reigned where Order, 
'Heaven's fi]"st law,' slioidd have been enthroned. The 
decorum which exists in the courts of Newer York, and 
especially in General Sessions, now equals that of any 
European court. 'No longer are District attorney and 
his colleagues the Al criminal lawyer and Ills colleagues, 
the favored reporter and friends of the aforesaid, the 
clerk of the court, the jailors and a detective or two, 
allowed to be jumbled together, or permitted to engage 
in the noisy or litigious discord which at one time dis- 
graced the court and insulted the presiding judge, who 
hesitated to break a custom that had grown by small 
degrees into a recognized abuse. Again, there is not the 
same publicity given to crime now. The fallen woman, 
for instance, is borne off privately from the court in the 
'black Maria.' The public cannot feast its eyes on her." 

"Recorder Hackett no doubt inaugurated this change," 
I suggested. 

"He did. No presiding judge was ever more remark- 
able for calm dignity. He quietly though firmly infused 
a proper sentiment of the respect that is due to the law. 
The indecent jest which so frequently crojiped out 
during proceedings that involved the life of a human 
being, is not now permitted to offend ears polite, or sensi- 
tive. The criminal lawyer of Newer York has to seek 
fresh pastures on which to feed his lov-e of the ridiculous, 
or his especial capacity for airing an ill-timed boiimof. 
At one time there was little awe inspired by the proceed- 
ings of a court, and its tragic edicts lost much of their 
wholesome influence on the body social and political. 
Even the friends of the condemned dried their tears to 
grin over some conceit of counsel, and the/acilis descen- 



THE JUDGES OF XEWEll YOKK. 51 

s?fs avenio seemed to become even more than tradition- 
ally well greased. Those who had as yet hesitated to 
assume the mantle of crime mentally put themselves in 
the place of the condemned without a shudder, and many 
still comparatively innocent, but who only needed occasion 
to invoke the devil that was in them, watched the joroceed- 
ings with an even pulse; and because the funny coun- 
sellor seemed to think the criminal such a cajjital fellow, 
contemplated their own possible presence there at some 
future time, or wondered whether innocence was not 
being sacrificed for the sake of a little legal sport and 
practice." 

"Ahl" said I, "one hundred years ago things were 
different; so much for political abuses; the lower classes 
should not be admitted into our courts ; for, 

' Vice is a monster of so frightful mien. 
As, to be hated, needs but to be seen; 
Yet, seen too oft, familiar with her face. 
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.' 

"Most true. But, thank the fates, crime is once again 
beginning to be held in abhorrence. That which at the 
commencement of the Centennial year was the common 
talk — even extending to the household — of most classes 
of society, is now only referred to in whispers. Virtue so 
long banished once more holds her court, and the peoi:)le 
of Xewer York worship at her shrine, while vice hides its 
diminished head, seeking only the foulest nooks and cor- 
ners, and not daring to stalk in the broad daylight, as 
heretofore, in the pure garb it had filched from virtue." 

"Having given you an idea of the beneficial changes 
in our courts, it gives me much pleasure to inform you 
that the Judges of Newer York utterly eschew politics." 

"Glorious news, indeed!" I responded; "so sacred an 



t)2 THE PISTOL, 

office as tlmt of a dispenser of justice slioukl li^e nntram- 
melled by party sentiment." 

"Certainly,'' answered G ; "and lichl}' are tliey 

rewarded by tlie proper reverence in wliicli they are lield 
by the public. The clamorous army of unprincipled 
office-seekers no longer hang on to and befoul the sacred 
robe. The truly sad spectacle of justice hobnobbing 
with rum-stained j)oliticians no longer grieves and dis- 
gusts the public eye, and our future judges will be 
selected for what they are ^vorth, irrespective of qualifi- 
cations which formerly satisfied the ijolitical causus; 
while with higher aim and nobler purpose they wait for, 
rather than seek, the crown of laurel. 

"Let me not forget to add that our judges are now 
elected for life with increased incomes. This is an 
inducement for our greatest legal minds to resign the 
emoluments of a large practice — the certainty of a retir- 
ing pension being thrown into the balance." 

"The legislature has been busy during my temporary 
sojourn with the man in the moon. Has it acted on 
Judge Brady' s opinion touching the habit of j)istol car- 
rying?" I asked. 

"It has, and his remarks on the conviction of one 
guilty of felonious assault were embodied in the bill. 
The law now enacts not only that imprisonment shall 
follow the unlawful carrying of a knife or razor, but that 
whosoever shall be found with a pistol on his person, 
unless he also bear with him a license to possess it, shall 
meet with similar retribution. Thus no person of bad 
repute, or even of doubtful character, dares to carry on 
his person such a weapon, except on peril of his liberty 
for a i)eriod of not less than twelve months. The act has 
secured to the public just what the worthy judge afore- 



TAMING THE WILD r,P:A8T. 53 

said deemed it expedient tliat it should have. It now 
ii-ives to men of good reputation whose exposure may 
require it the right to carry the pistol, while thieves, 
burglars, violent drunkards and men of bad reputation, 
to whom no license would be granted, will subject them- 
selves to the penalty if they violate the law, and double 
l>unishment if caught with it while attempting or after 
perpetrating a crime. By such a statute a peaceable 
law-abiding citizen has an advantage over the reckless 
iind lawless, and a superior place, to which he is en- 
titled."' 

"This must have ]>r<)ved most benehcial in its results,'^ 
I remarked. "But has no misuse been made of the 
privileged' 

" Onh" in one or two instances by timorous and nervous- 
jieiscms. To such at the present day no license is 
granted. Bear in mind that any hasty or improper use 
of the pistol entails punishment, even on those who are 
licensed to cany it. You may well believe that the 
rougher element is thus kept at bay — the wild beast is 
being gradnally tamed, and may eventually become a 
decent member of society."' 

"At the time," I remarked, "when, in a moment of 
mental aberration, I ventnred to journey through the 
infinite space, society was verging on a maelstrom of 
abominations which made the very name of New York 
stink in the nostrils of philanthropy. Had it been possi- 
V)le thoroughly to canvas the jDublic mind and feel its 
l)idse, I woidd venture to say that it would have beaten 
in sympathy with many a state criminal who made haste 
to get rich at the exjjense of lionor and humanity, rathei* 
than have quiclvened in ])roper horror."' 



54 tup: "social evil." 

"Since that time, my friend," resjM^iided G , '-we 

have been taiin'ht to see our danger. 'J'he power which 
the immortal Burns so beautifully invoked fell like 
Heaven s balm upon the city, and we began to under- 
stand the meaning of individual responsibility." 

In answer to my query whether the "social evil" was 
as prevalent as formerly, G remarked that the ques- 
tion continued to puzzle the wisest heads, "Prece- 
dent," he said, "has proven that to stoj) this terrible 
traffic entirely is what no law can accomplish. But 
society is doing moi'e for Newer York with regard to 
the evil than can be accomplished by law." 

" In what way V 1 asked. 

"In various ways. Mothers bring up their daughters 
to regard young men of dissolute habits as moral lepers 
who are to be shunned. The science of physiology has 
become more than formerly a study proper to the house- 
hold ; girls in their teens are taught to know the dangers 
which be^et them — taught by their mothers — the only 
human beings from whom they should learn such things 
— taught just as much as, and no more than it is good 
and decent for budding womanhood to be acquainted 
with. Science with its mighty strides has walked ovci- 
silly prejudice, and left it far behind. Fathers guard 
their dear ones from contamination by closing their doors 
against the known libertine, who discovers that, unless 
he mend his ways, Newer York is no abode for him." 

"This touches at the root of tlie evil," 1 exclaimed 
with pleasure, " for were it not for the seducer ])r()stitu- 
tion would be an impossibility." 

"That is just what I was coming to," said G . 

"Not only does the violator of female chastity find liiui 
self a social outcast, but any citizen is em])owered to 



THK SEDUCEK's ITXISIIMEXT. 55 

bi'ing a niniiiial charge against him, and unless imme- 
diate marriage can be agreed upon, the law will hohl 
him a prisoner for a term of years, the time being- 
proportionate to liis own individual guilt in the matter. 
The youth of Newer York are thus held in check by a 
wholesome dread of what must surely follow, as the 
result of a libidinous career; and, turning to the pure 
of the other sex, they select from their number one to 
whom they tender a proper devotion ; and so early 
marriages have become the order of the day. Ameliora- 
tion is all that we can dare to hope for with regard to 
the "social evil"; but, if it be possible to eradicate the 
fell disease, we are certainly on the high road to its 
accomplishment. ' ' 

"Now," cried G , buttoning his coat, "I am off." 

"One nnoment," said I. "How about the Brooklyn 
scan — " 

My question remained unfinished for, to my astonish- 
ment and affright, as I sx)oke G strode towards the 

closed door, and disappeared like a jihantom through 
two inches of black walnut. 

I was about to follow him, when a hand was placed on 
my arm, and a jiair of soft lips were pressed to my fore- 
head, while a voice that I knew to be my wife's said : 

"How could you go to sleep in this cold room! Come 
to bed, you look haggard and feverish." 

I obej^ed mechanically, and not before refreshing sleej^ 
had dispelled my fever did I arrive at the conclusion 
that the i^revious night's interview had existed only in 
my dream. 

This having furnished me witl\ better material for my 
paper on social crimes and abuses than wide-awake 
thought could l)estov/ on short notice, after destroying 



,'e, THE ''(OIsVICT" ItELEASEI). 

my lucubration wliicli probably liad ushered lue into 
dreamland, I penned this narrative, but not before I had 

obtained B 's freedom, and sent liiui home to his 

anxious wife. 



THE END. 



fwffivonj^ 

Centennial Offering. 



BY 



LUNARIAN. 



Illu^ti'Med. 



New York: 
OR\nLLE JAR VIS, 15 SPRUCE STREET 

1876. 



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